Titan Fans Lose Booze

Thirsty California State University fans will no longer be able to enjoy their favorite alcoholic beverage at intercollegiate sporting events.

The ban came in the form of an executive order, issued by CSU President Charles Reed. It bans the sale of alcohol on any CSU owned or operated sporting venue.

“…There has been a recent national trend to address the illegal use and abuse of alcohol at intercollegiate athletic events that has lead to incidents of poor sportsmanship, disorderly conduct and a negative game atmosphere for fans,” Reed said in a statement.

The ban went into effect on Dec. 23.

New rules have also been adopted regarding the advertising of both alcohol and alcohol distributors, such as pubs close to campus.

There is no limit on the amount of advertising that may be sold, however, the ads cannot portray alcohol used as a device to deal with personal problems or those that promote a large quantity or frequency of drinking.

The ban also covers ads in university publications and asks broadcasters of CSU sporting events to follow the guidelines as well.

The ban results in a 25 percent loss in revenue for all concessions sold at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field, said CSUF official Paula Selleck.

Six CSU campuses are bound to contracts with alcohol manufacturers and distributors and will be allowed to continue their existing contracts, but they cannot be renewed once the contracts expire.

“Alcohol is a money maker, and it will always be a money maker,” said Corey Jackson, student representative on the CSU Board of Trustees.

The board had initially recommenced that Reed issue the ban.

“The board felt that alcohol sales were in direct conflict with policies and stances that we have in place [regarding alcohol],” he said.

There is no current plan to make up the missing revenue with additional funding, he said, but that the ban “won’t dent funding that much.”

“We will have to talk to individual campuses to see if there’s a hole in their funding,” CS spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said. “I don’t think any campuses will be hurt too badly.”

The new ban is consistent with a 2001 move by the chancellor’s office, which donated about $1 million for alcohol abuse education and prevention, she said.

The focus of the initial alcohol education campaign was to inform students about the legality of alcohol use and the social misconceptions regarding its use. The CSU wanted to emphasize that large quantities of drinking is not a social norm, she said.

Some students argue that the ban will hurt attendance at games and overall university revenue.

Senior theater arts major Heather Beihl is unsure whether the ban will affect university revenue.

“I don’t think that a ban on alcohol at some sports events will hurt attendance, but I don’t think it makes sense to ban something that makes money for the university,” she said.

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